Rebuilding New Orleans
Rebuilding New Orleans
Katrina, Five Years Later
THE NEW YORK TIMES. SEPTEMBER 1, 2010. EDITORIAL
New Orleans is rebounding well from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and could conceivably end up on a stronger economic footing than before the storm — if the city redevelops in the right way. For that to happen, federal, state and local authorities must step up the effort to restore flood-damaged neighborhoods, some of which are heavily blighted and still have less than half their prestorm populations.
5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and Louisiana lacked virtually any green building or energy-efficiency infrastructure. Louisiana didn’t have a modern energy code, there were no LEED certified buildings, and most of the shotgun houses and schools were built with cheap building materials that were often unhealthy and incredibly energy-inefficient.
Five years later, we celebrate the thousands of green points that symbolize the healthy and energy-efficient rebuilding going on throughout New Orleans. New Orleans is a Department of Energy (DOE) Solar America City, Louisiana has the most progressive solar tax credit in the country, there are numerous green homes, schools, and building projects throughout the city and hundreds of green building products are now widely available. As recently noted by USA Today, there are more green single-family affordable housing units being built in New Orleans than any other city in the United States.
Obama to commemorate Katrina on 5th anniversary
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. AUGUST 27, 2010.
VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. — President Barack Obama will use the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to reaffirm his commitment to the Gulf Coast amid lingering questions over his administration's response to the BP oil spill.
"He inherited a legacy problem with New Orleans rebuilding just like so many incredible challenges with the economy," said Beth Galante, director of the New Orleans office of Global Green USA, a sustainable building initiative active in the city since the hurricane struck. "It does really put the burden on him to acknowledge the failures and make sure there's a serious and ongoing federal commitment to righting those problems."
Katrina 5th Anniversary News
Here is a round-up of the news articles related to the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that Global Green USA has been a part of.
Hurricane Katrina anniversary: Ways to help with on-going rebuilding efforts
USA TODAY. AUGUST 27, 2010.
In honor of Hurricane Katrina's fifth-year anniversary this Sunday, we'll be sharing several "hero" stories here in Kindness next week. Be sure to share yours!
We wanted to additionally highlight several ways you can still get engaged and help out with rebuilding efforts that continue today.
Climate change center to be in Lower 9th Ward
KLFY 10. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Associated Press.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A $3.2 million center where people will learn about climate change and the threat of sea level rise is slated to be built in the Lower 9th Ward with federal and private dollars.
Post-Katrina, Global Green Gives New Orleans An Eco-Facelift
THE HUFFINGTON POST. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Laura Bassett
Before Hurricane Katrina struck, New Orleans was far from a model of environmental sustainability. The centuries-old houses with 10-foot ceilings that lend the city its charm were horribly energy inefficient, nearly every building in the city was vulnerable to heavy flooding, and the city had no LEED-certified buildings or an energy code before the storm.
Soon after Katrina and the inadequate government response to the disaster, environmental non-profit Global Green capitalized on the opportunity to rebuild the city as an international example of sustainability. Through green affordable housing projects, education initiatives to teach residents about global warming and sustainability, and efforts to green local schools, Global Green hopes to achieve the greatest impact possible on New Orleans while inspiring national and international governments to follow suit.
Holy Cross Neighborhood Gets 'Green' Face-Lift
WDSU.COM. AUGUST 25, 2010.
New Homes Being Built With Latest Technology
NEW ORLEANS -- The Holy Cross neighborhood is getting a face-lift, one green home at a time.
The Global Green project has constructed five green homes, and there's more housing in the works.
There is still a green apartment building with 18 units set for the area, as well as a community center. The new homes stand out in the older neighborhood, but neighbors said it's a look they are getting used to. "I think it might be a little unusual from the old traditional, houses but it's very beautiful," said Holy Cross resident Mamie Smith.
It’s Easy Being Green: The Big Green Easy
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS. AUGUST 25, 2010.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans five years ago, the devastation was heartbreaking. Residents lost homes, schools, and churches, and in some cases entire neighborhoods were destroyed. The city was in ruins by the time the water finally receded, leaving the task of rebuilding to those whose homes and livelihoods had been swept away by the massive storm. The Crescent City slowly but surely crept back to life, and in the process, New Orleans 2.0 is becoming better, stronger, and greener.
For Hurricane Katrina Victims, A Solar Restart
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Marianne Lavelle
Renewable energy, efficiency part of New Orleans rebuilding
The rooftop of Robert Green’s home bears two unmistakable marks that it is part of the effort to rebuild New Orleans with a new resilience.
There is a safe exit to a secure area of the roof—a feature that needs no explanation for longtime Lower Ninth Ward residents like Green, who lost both his mother and his three-year-old granddaughter in 20-foot-high floodwaters after the Industrial Canal levee broke in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.
Wind turbine plant may spur offshore wind energy development
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. AUGUST 22, 2010. By Richard Thompson
Days after a British wind turbine company announced plans to begin manufacturing turbine blades and components in part of the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans, local environmentalists expressed optimism that a strong industry presence in the region could spur interest in offshore wind energy development among state officials and utility providers.
Lessons in Resilience From New Orleans
THE NEW YORK TIMES. DOT EARTH BLOG. AUGUST 13, 2010. By Andrew C. Revkin
After reading yesterday’s piece on strategies for limiting losses in climate-related disasters, Robert Kates, a scholar studying human development patterns and a longtime source of mine, offered the following summary of lessons on building resilient communities derived from the history of New Orleans.
Recovery School District makes long-term building assignments
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. AUGUST 5, 2010. By Cindy Chang
The Recovery School District has released a plan for where each of its nearly 70 schools will be located as it moves forward with a massive slate of construction and renovation projects.
Since the storm, the Recovery School District has built or totally renovated six schools, including Greater Gentilly High School, Joseph Craig Elementary and L.B. Landry High School. The challenges of rebuilding the New Orleans public school system after Hurricane Katrina are reflected in the school facilities themselves, many of which were damaged by the storm and levee breaches and were in poor condition to begin with.
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Global Green's Response
GLOBAL GREEN USA RESPONDS TO THE GULF COAST OIL SPILL...AND NEEDS YOUR HELP!
On April 20, 2010 there was an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 plaform workers and injured 17 others. It also resulted in the damaged wellhead - 5,000 feet below the surface - to start gushing oil into the Gulf. The ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill is now considered to be the largest offshore spill in U.S. history, with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date, and the nations worst environmental distaster. All attempts to cap the well have thus far failed.
Global Green USA, one of the leading green voices in New Orleans, is responding to the nation’s largest environmental disaster by supporting the communities impacted, helping to document the devastation, and fighting for more legislative regulation of the oil industry and increased investment in renewable energy and clean technologies.
Plan B: Grading New Orleans's Readiness for Climate Change
GOOD MAGAZINE. JULY 27, 2010. By Ben Jervey
With geography and climate change working against it, New Orleans prepares for the future. GOOD assesses its resiliency plan.
There has been a lot of admirable progress in New Orleans in the last five years, but what happens during the next big storm? Could all this progress be washed away? After all, the physical geography of the city hasn’t changed: It still sits vulnerably surrounded by water, tucked between (and in many places, below) two massive lakes, the continent’s biggest river, and an ever-warming Gulf of Mexico.
L.B. Landry High School counting down to opening day
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. JULY 26, 2010. By Kari Dequine
L.B. Landry High School has kicked into high gear, said Principal Natalie Franklin, amid the sounds of hammers and buzzing saws. The brand-new $54 million school building in Algiers was crawling with landscapers and construction workers last week as they hurried to finish the final touches on the state-of-the-art building.
Kicking the Oil Habit
THE NATION. JULY 15, 2010. By Mark Hertsgaard
Port Sulphur, Louisiana
Captain Pete, as everyone in town calls him, has been an oysterman nearly his entire life. He started as a boy, learning the trade from his father, who had learned it from his father. Working fourteen-hour days from leased oyster beds in Barataria Bay, forty miles south of New Orleans, Captain Pete's family supplied the city's premier vendor, P&J Oyster Company. When P&J closed its doors on June 10, it was front-page news in New Orleans—one more in a string of casualties of BP's deep-sea oil catastrophe.
Voices from the Gulf official selection of the 2010 Lights. Camera. Help. Film Festival
"Voices from the Gulf: Shell Beach Fishermen" is an official selection of the 2010 "Lights. Camera. Help." Film Festival. Out of a pool of 235 documentaries, PSAs and short films, 33 were selected to screen in the nation's only festival dedicated to cause-driven films. The festival runs from July 29 - 31 in Austin, TX. As an official selection of the festival, the film is now eligible for one of three jury prizes to be awarded at the conclusion of the event.
Filmmakers Gary and Kristin Schillinger moved to New Orleans from the San Francisco Bay Area just weeks before the catastrophic oil spill threatened the wildlife, marshlands, beaches and communities of the Gulf Coast. They teamed up with Global Green to produce a series of online shorts that would help shed light on the human toll of the country’s worst environmental crisis.
For more information about the "Lights. Camera. Help." film festival, visit http://lightscamerahelp.org/
ABC Star tries to bring environmental awareness to national audience.
ABC26 WGNO. JULY 11, 2010. By Glynn Boyd
MYRTLE GROVE, LA - You saw her last night in the hit ABC hit series, "The Gates."
She plays the Vampire.
But Rhona Mitra is also an activist for clean energy.
BIBG Fights Poverty with Energy Knowledge
New Orleans homeowner Shirley Johnigan was distraught over high utility bills, which averaged nearly $400.00 a month, even though her income was 80% below the Area Median Income (AMI). Because she could not afford such expense, she felt like she might have to move out of the Gentilly neighborhood she loves. “I was robbing Peter to pay Paul. I couldn’t afford my medicine and my utility bill,” she said.
She sought help from Global Green’s Build it Back Green (BIBG) program. BIBG team members Andrew Spaulding and Myron Warden visited Ms. Johnigan’s house and performed a Home Energy Assessment. They also found a total lack of insulation in her attic, and substantial points of air leakage in her attic floor and ductwork.
Sophia Bush, Austin Nichols on Gulf Oil Disaster
June 20-22, 2010. One Tree Hill stars Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols joined Global Green USA President Matt Petersen in the Gulf to tour Grand Isle and some of the areas being affected by the oil spill, and to get the word out to as many people as possible about the effects it has having on the people, communities, and ecosystems down there.
Here is some of the news coverage their visit - and tweets - has garnered.
BP Oil Disaster Threatens Mississippi Delta Goods and Services Worth Far More than BP's Value
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND. JUNE 10, 2010.
(Baton Rouge, LA–June 10, 2010) The BP oil disaster, hurricanes and wetlands loss threaten a net value of $330 billion to $1.3 trillion in natural system goods and services, according to the first study of the Mississippi River Delta as a capital asset. Even the low end estimate of the Delta's value exceeds BP's market capitalization before the oil disaster on April 20 of $189 billion. The study was completed shortly before the spill.
Global Green to Receive Award at 2010 Healthy Housing Conference
Global Green will be receiving an award at THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at their Opening Plenary Session "for the tremendous work and efforts of your organization in rebuilding areas ravaged by Katrina."
Mitch Landrieu gets reports from citizen task forces calling for action
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 22, 2010. By Michelle Krupa
From overhauling the code enforcement system to improving the City Hall budget process, Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu on Thursday heard from 17 citizen task forces charged with crafting policy advice in the run-up to his May 3 inauguration.
Earth Day Endorsement from The Big Easy: Build it Back Green
THE HUFFINGTON POST. APRIL 22, 2010. By Karen Dalton-Beninato
Global Green's New Orleans Director Beth Galante is on the incoming mayor's environmental transition team, so an eco friendly voice will be front and center in the next administration. That seems appropriate to mention on on this 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Andrew H. Wilson Charter School Goes Green
BEST OF NEW ORLEANS.COM. APRIL 19, 2010. By Brandon Meginley
Green schools practice what they teach
For a moment, it's quiet on the second floor of Andrew H. Wilson Charter School in Broadmoor. Because of the building's acoustics, not even the air conditioner can be heard. Then there's a distant squeak of a rubber sole against bamboo floorboards. And another. A gaggle of first-graders winds around the corner — a blurry flock of khaki and forest green. The students are headed to the courtyard where they will play traditional recess games like hopscotch, dodge ball and four square next to a not-so-traditional 12,000-gallon water cistern.
Mayor-elect's team gets green suggestions
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 10, 2010. By Molly Reid
Municipal recycling service, more efficient stormwater management and a bicycle sharing system were all ideas suggested to New Orleans Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu's transition team at a recent public meeting.
A legacy of Katrina: Green homes
USA TODAY. APRIL 7, 2010. By Rick Jervis
NEW ORLEANS -- In this city on the mend, hundreds of state-of-the-art sustainable, energy-efficient homes are being built in lower-income neighborhoods, a trend that's outpacing most of the rest of the country.
Mayor-elect Landrieu names leaders of 14 new transition teams
WWLTV.COM. MARCH 17, 2010. By Paul Murphy and Dominic Massa / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu and his transition team have tapped more than two dozen business and civic leaders to lead task forces on a host of city issues as Landrieu prepares to take office in May.
Brad the builder in New Orleans
THE GUARDIAN UK. MARCH 14, 2010. By Rowan Moore
Debra Dupar, pregnant with her fifth child, is sitting outside her new house. She is washed by the noon sun of an early spring day, nursing a pinkish-red drink and chatting to her friends. A short way off a camera crew is setting up, assessing shots, squinting at the light, chatting to potential interviewees. They are working for Spike Lee, who is making a documentary about the place where Debra lives.
New schools open in New Orleans
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. FEBRUARY 8, 2010. By Katie Urbaszewski
After holding school in trailers, weathering mold infestations and relocating several times, three New Orleans school communities have finally moved into new, state-of-the-art buildings.
The Recovery School District opened the new buildings for Greater Gentilly High, Andrew Wilson Charter and Joseph Craig Elementary last month, touting them as models for "green" construction, as well as their capacity to withstand storms.
Help NOLA Win Big On Superbowl Sunday
Green groups enter betting game
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR. FEBRUARY 3, 2010.
The stakes apparently weren't high enough with a bet between Mayor Greg Ballard and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.
Now, the environmentalists are in on it. On Tuesday, the Hoosier Environmental Council and its New Orleans' counterpart, Global Green USA, announced a "green" wager.
Stay in 'green' house wagered on Super Bowl between New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. FEBRUARY 3, 2010. By Mark Schleifstein
Add a free stay in a "green living" showcase home in either New Orleans or Indianapolis to the list of wagers pending on the outcome of Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday.
Green platform wins support of candidates for mayor and City Council
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. JANUARY 27, 2010. By Molly Reid
Numerous candidates for New Orleans mayor and City Council signed onto a platform Tuesday that cited environmentally sensitive building and energy efficiency as a largely untapped engine of local economic development.
Making Things Green
HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE. JANUARY 2010. by David Steinman
Miracle in the Big Easy: The Ninth Ward is Coming Back
Beth Galante on Green Patriot Radio
GREEN PATRIOT RADIO. JANUARY 15, 2010.
This week, Beth Galante, Director of Global Green USA's New Orleans office is featured on Green Patriot Radio.
Northborough teacher aide, students helping New Orleans school reopen
THE METROWEST DAILY NEWS. JANUARY 15, 2010. By Evan Lips
Three Algonquin Regional High School students presented a $300 donation yesterday to Proctor Elementary School teaching aide Martha Bigelow, money that will help a New Orleans school reopen more than four years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area.
Greenhouse gas decision is target of coordinated protest by Louisiana agencies
TIMES-PICAYUNE. DECEMBER 28, 2009. By Rebecca Mowbray
The Jindal administration is mounting a coordinated campaign against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to regulate the man-made gases thought to be responsible for climate change and has filed letters protesting the potential economic dislocation of the proposed policy.
Pam Dashiell, Lower 9th Ward activist, dies at age 61
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. DECEMBER 2, 2009. By Katy Reckdahl
Pam Dashiell, a civic activist who deftly galvanized her Lower 9th Ward neighbors while pushing for structurally sound levees and environmentally friendly construction, died in her home on Tuesday. She is believed to have died of natural causes, but findings by the coroner's office are incomplete. She was 61.
Pilgrim's Progress: 10 Reasons to be Thankful for New Orleans
THE HUFFINGTON POST. NOVEMBER 26, 2009. By Karen Dalton-Beninato
While thankful for the closure that comes from a ruling that engineering disasters in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and levees led to post Katrina flooding, I was taken aback when a CNN commentator conjectured that New Orleans residents are now looking for their "Pound of flesh."Our diaspora can be compared to many literary classics - the Illiad comes to mind, but not Shakespeare's Shylock character.
Fairness and revenge are two very different things. Having a foot in both worlds for four years has been challenging, but gratifying because I was able to be with my father during the last years of his life. Valuing that time is just one of the lessons learned from the journey home. Also Live and Let Die is on, with its French Quarter Second Line, and Baron Samedi's big voodoo scene is up next. It's the little things.
Cool weather provides insulation inspiration
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. NOVEMBER 21, 2009. By Molly Reid
With temperatures dropping and cold winds blowing in, New Orleans residents who are staying cold indoors as well may start pondering the efficacy of their insulation.
Insulation, however, does not exist in a vacuum, and a number of factors concerning a home’s wall composition and building envelope, as well as the installation of the insulation, can bring R-value down significantly, said Myron Warden, energy efficiency fellow for the nonprofit Global Green’s New Orleans office.
Top EPA official tours 9th Ward
FOX 8 NEWS. NOVEMBER 18, 2009
Lisa Jackson, the woman in charge of making sure our air and water stay safe at the top EPA administrator, is now back in a place that's shaped her career agenda.
"Spiritually these folks have a since of renewal and purpose about the importance of sustainability, the importance of the environment," said Jackson.
Lisa Jackson Tours Holy Cross Project (Video)
ABC26.COM. NOVEMBER 18, 2009
Lisa Jackson tours the Visitor Center at the Holy Cross Project (Video)
Rebuilding a Green New Orleans: An Interview with Matt Petersen
TREEHUGGER. NOVEMBER 10, 2009. By Alex Pasternack
"This wasn't just folks with a bunch of good ideas and a Hollywood star"
Global Green USA, a charity founded in 1993 by Mikhail Gorbachev, may be best known for its initiatives with celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio. But far from the glare of Hollywood, the group has done some of its most important work in New Orleans. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Global Green began rebuilding a community meant not only to improve the lives of residents but to inspire other green construction around the country.
New Orleans in the forefront of a green building revolution
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. NOVEMBER 4, 2009. By Husna Haq
Hurricane Katrina provided New Orleans with the opportunity to be part of an environmental revolution and rebuild its houses, schools, and neighborhoods in a green, sustainable way.
When hurricane Katrina blew into New Orleans four years ago, Matt Petersen watched in shock as the floodwaters retreated, revealing one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history: billions of dollars in damages, 80 percent of the city flooded with filthy water, and a government response that provoked a firestorm of criticism.
Houses of the Future
THE ATLANTIC. NOVEMBER 1, 2009. By Wayne Curtis
A sturdy bike is a good way to get around the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. The roads are still pretty rough, the distances between places tend to be too long to walk and too short to drive, and on a bike you can easily stop and chat with the residents who have returned. I moved to New Orleans about a year after Hurricane Katrina, and I’ve ridden my bike out here every month or two to see how the rebuilding has been faring. Also, I’ve heard that Brad Pitt likes to bike around when he’s in town. Folks tell me he’s a pretty regular guy. “Brad was here yesterday,” a woman sitting on the front steps of her new and very modern house told me one day last fall. “He was talking to everyone, just checking things out.”
Green Rebuilding in New Orleans
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD.COM. October 27, 2009. By David Bernell, Oregon State University and Think Energy Inc.
The ongoing effort to rebuild and restore the city of New Orleans has prompted a number of questions about exactly how to rebuild in the city. As it has turned out, the times are ripe for rethinking how we build and organize urban spaces and a number of people – in New Orleans and around the country – have called for an approach that offers greater attention to sustainability.
Historic district panel honors 35
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. Monday, October 26, 2009. By Bruce Eggler
Thirty-five architectural projects completed between 2006 and 2008 were honored recently by the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission.
The awards ceremony, held at the City Council chamber in City Hall, "recognizes a huge financial investment in the city by mostly private individuals, and many of the projects reflect the recovery since Katrina," said Eleanor Burke, the commission's deputy director.
'Green' job presentation is geared to high school students
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE NOLA.COM. October 23, 2009. By Times-Picayune Staff
The New Orleans office of the environmental nonprofit Global Green is hosting a job fair Saturday for local high school students to provide information about the burgeoning "green" economy.
More than 40 representatives of local nonprofit groups, educational institutions and businesses will be on hand to provide information about jobs in so-called green building practices, energy efficiency, alternative energy and environmental science.
It's 'Big Easy' Being Green
THE HARVARD CRIMSON. OCTOBER 16, 2009. By Raul A. Carillo
Green-collar pioneers are rebuilding New Orleans
Stuck in the middle of party-line polemics over President Obama’s brief visit yesterday, the people of New Orleans remain unmoved. One can imagine they’re not so much concerned with whether solutions come in red or blue so much as they are the amount of greenbacks: From federal outlays, state funds, or private investors, the money must come in.
President Obama tells students at MLK Charter he's proud
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. OCTOBER 15, 2009. By Bill Barrow
Addressing students at his first stop in New Orleans since taking office nine months ago, the nation's first African-American president told students at Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School that he is proud of their work, but expects them to keeping working hard to meet high standards.
Help Build It Back Green Win a $20,000 Grant!
Tom's of Maine has selected our project as a Top 50 finalist out of over 2000 applications to receive one of five $20,000 grants! You can go online and vote for our project - Home Energy Efficiency for a Sustainable New Orleans - located in the Environment tab here.
You can vote daily through October 30th, so show your support for Global Green every day!
A Port in the Storm
AUDUBON MAGAZINE. SEPT-OCT 2009. By Renee Ebersole.
Four years after Katrina, New Orleans is still knocking the seawater from her ears. But along the banks of the Mississippi River, there’s a new sign of the times: a small collection of buildings that should provide a lifeline—not only in the next storm but also in the face of higher oil prices. These structures in the Holy Cross neighborhood in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward are built a solid seven feet above sea level (then elevated further by pilings) and outfitted with solar panels, a cistern system to collect water, and an array of details that earn them one of the highest energy-efficiency ratings in the country.
New post-Katrina construction shows that a sustainable industry may have come out of the storm
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. AUGUST 31, 2009. By Kim Quillen
New Orleans' "green" building infrastructure is only partially developed, but has made significant strides since getting a jumpstart from Hurricane Katrina, according to local environmental advocates and home builders.
With several high-profile green home developments under construction and an expanded pool of contractors knowledgeable about new building practices and recent changes in city and state policies, many believe New Orleans is poised for a flurry of environmentally-friendly construction.
Four Years Later, New Orleans' Green Makeover
TIME. AUGUST 29, 2009. By Bryan Walsh
After Hurricane Katrina flattened New Orleans exactly four years ago, on Aug. 29, 2005, the city emerged as an inadvertent symbol of global warming, the first American victim of climate change. Over 200,000 homes were destroyed during the Category 5 hurricane. But in the years since, the Crescent City has quietly embraced a new and unexpected role as a laboratory for green building. Sustainable development groups that range from the international nonprofit Global Green to earth-friendly celebrities like Brad Pitt descended on New Orleans, determined not just to build the city back, but to build it back green. "It's going to come back," says Matt Petersen, the president of Global Green USA. "But we want to build it better than it was before."
Nonprofits help Katrina victims rebuild their homes, lives
CNN. AUGUST 29, 2009. By Sean Callebs and Jason Morris
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- As floodwaters washed away homes in the Lower 9th Ward, Robert Green watched with horror as his mother got swept away in the storm.
Four months later, Green and other family members found Joyce Green's remains in the splintered wreckage of the house where they left her. Robert Green's granddaughter Shanay also drowned the night Hurricane Katrina hit.
Green spent almost the entire last four years living in a small FEMA trailer on his land, sharing his story with anyone who came through the Lower 9th.
We are New Orleans
AC360. AUGUST 27, 2009. By Matt Petersen, President & CEO, Global Green USA
In four years of working closely with the residents of New Orleans, I have seen one trait remain paramount among its citizens —their deep love for their city.
To understand New Orleans is to appreciate its beauty and uniqueness, music, food, art, warts and all. Although Hurricane Katrina may have damaged much of the physical city, the strength and love of New Orleans citizens has never wavered, and their enthusiasm to rebuild their city better and more sustainably is inspiring.
New Orleans: The green rebuild
MOTHER NATURE NETWORK. AUG 24, 2009. By Melissa Hincha-Ownby
A new report from the Sierra Club examines the green rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, nearly four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina raced into New Orleans and the city was forever changed. The rebuilding efforts have been focused in certain regions, but many areas of the city still look as they did shortly after New Orleans dried out from the devastating levee breaks. Last week, the Sierra Club released a report that examines the green rebuilding efforts in the city.
Hurricane Katrina Four Years Later: Greening the Crescent City
TREEHUGGER. AUGUST 19, 2009. By Greg Haegele
Next Saturday, August 29th, marks four years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The Sierra Club has been actively involved in many facets of the recovery (from exposing the toxic FEMA trailers, to helping restore wetlands, and more) - and this week brought some good news for those wanting a comprehensive look at the green recovery in New Orleans.
The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has provided the city of New Orleans with a unique opportunity to develop a national model for rebuilding green - and there are many, many projects under way.
A Big Job for the Big Easy: Rebuilding a Sustainable New Orleans
ICLEI USA. LOCAL ACTION BLOG. AUGUST 4, 2009. By Ryan Foshee
After the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the City of New Orleans has returned to state of near normalcy. Most of the sights familiar to vacationers remain or have been restored, but much of the city will never be the same.
This is doubly true because of the renewed spotlight on sustainability. The great lesson of the storms is not merely one of levies and emergency response; Katrina and Rita are reminders of the raw power of the natural world, and the city has since become a focal point for adaptive and sustainable growth.
ICLEI is pleased to offer a sneak peak of the City of New Orleans 2009 Carbon Report, to be formally released at the end of the month. The report details the efforts of city staff, partner groups, and residents to innovatively and mindfully reinvent New Orleans neighborhoods and infrastructure.
Volunteer Spotlight: Global Green's Simon Warren and Marie Cita
CAUSECAST.ORG. AUGUST 4, 2009.
Yale student and environmental activist Simon Warren has been interning with Global Green USA in New Orleans for the past three months. His work in the Lower Ninth Ward and on sustainable home building projects makes him a prime candidate for the first installment in our month-long series on Volunteers and Public Service.
Read our interview with Simon below and see how this college student found a life-changing experience with Global Green. You can also hear from Global Green volunteer Marie Cita and read her contribution.
School rebuilding boom boosts N.O. economy
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. JULY 31, 2009. By Darran Simon.
With a turbulent economy and tight credit taking the wind out of private-sector projects involving office buildings and condominiums, Gootee's workload has shifted to publicly financed projects such as the renovation of Joseph A. Craig Elementary in Treme.
Ryan Gootee's Metairie-based company is among the beneficiaries of one post-Katrina construction push that could sustain contractors -- and the swarms of carpenters, brick masons, electricians and others they employ -- for some time, a bright spot in the New Orleans economy.
During the next five years, a flurry of public school construction projects, valued at about $700 million, will roll out in New Orleans, with the bulk of the tab paid through Federal Emergency Management Agency recovery funds.
A Sustainable New Orleans Slowly Rises in Katrina's Wake
THE NEW YORK TIMES. JULY 14, 2009. By Katie Howell
NEW ORLEANS -- People here are finally seeing a bright side to the catastrophic damage done four years ago by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The city is being rebuilt slowly as what many hope will be a clean, green model for the nation.
"After the storm events happened, now everybody is interested in the environment," said Wynecta Fisher, director of the city's Office of Environmental Affairs. "I hate to say that it came at a good time, but because of the storm, we've been able to build on that momentum."
There is a big push in the Big Easy for dramatically improving energy efficiency in homes and public buildings. The city has purchased a fleet of hybrid buses and has plans to install solar-powered LED streetlights. And the renewable energy sector is drawing up grandiose plans for using hydrokinetic turbines to tap powerful currents in the Mississippi River to generate electricity.
Green Impact
NEW ORLEANS CITY BUSINESS. JULY 13, 2009. By Deon Roberts
Louisiana is on the front lines of the congressional battle over whether clean energy will create or cost jobs
As Congress debates the American Clean Energy and Security Act, its supporters say tens of thousands of jobs will be created in Louisiana, in addition to improving the environment.
But opponents say the act could cost the state high-paying refinery jobs, a loss that would not be offset by new clean-energy jobs.
New Jersey Children's Museum Donates to Global Green
New Jersey Children's Museum has generously donated $500 to Global Green's New Orleans office. The money was donated from their Hyberfolic Funnel exhibit at the museum. Children roll coins down the funnel which represents the solar system and its gravitational pull of the planets around the Sun. Both fun and educational, the money collected is donated to chariites, usually local.
New Orean's Green Renaissance
THE WEATHER CHANNEL. APRIL 27, 2009
The Waether Channel visits New Orleans and talks to Beth Galante, Global Green USA's New Orleans Director, about the Holy Cross Project, as well as Linda Stone, a Global Green associate who is renovating her house using green materials.
WATCH THE VIDEO (search for the video titled New Orleans' green renaissance)
Talking Green with Matt Petersen
The New Wave. April 9, 2009. By Ryan Rivet.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many saw the widespread rebuilding effort as an opportunity to reinvent New Orleans as an environmentally sustainable city. Global Green USA, a national environmental organization, mobilized resources to create the “Healthy Homes and Smart Neighborhoods” initiative. Matt Petersen, president, CEO and board member of Global Green, was on the Tulane uptown campus on Friday (April 3) to address the Tulane Law School Summit on Environmental Law and Policy.
Global Green has several major projects under way in the Crescent City area, including the New Orleans Sustainable Design Competition, the NOLA Green Schools Initiative, and ongoing work with Habitat for Humanity to create more energy-efficient housing throughout the Gulf Coast. New Wave talked with Petersen about the city’s progress in rebuilding green as well as the future of environmentalism. Here are highlights of the interview.
New Orleans schools reborn in a green image
Green Right Now. March 18, 2009. By Shermakaye Bass
Global Green upgrades will save the International School of Louisiana an estimated $21,781 in utility costs and reduce the carbon emissions by 177,109 pounds annually.
In late summer 2005, the city of New Orleans suffered a horrific blow when Hurricane Katrina howled in from the Gulf of Mexico, inundating the 300-year-old city and severely crippling its infrastructure and its collective psyche. But if anything positive surfaced after Katrina, it’s that the storm gave New Orleans an opportunity to go green.
Crescent City transplant Brad Pitt has taken a high-profile role in rebuilding the poorest parts of the city, with a focus on energy efficient, eco-friendly affordable housing. And Global Green USA, an offshoot of Mikhail Gorbachev’s non-profit Green Cross International, also has made headlines with green reconstruction of devastated districts such as the Ninth Ward’s Holy Cross neighborhood.
Less known is the fact that post-Katrina NOLA has positioned itself to become one of the country’s national leaders in terms of green school construction - both in retrofitting old ones and building new ones. Turning rot and ruin into hope and rebirth, organizations like Global Green (GG) and the Clinton Climate Initiative are helping locals change the landscape of public education, one “brick” at a time.
Brad Pitt urges House leaders to continue help for New Orleans' recovery
TIMES-PICAYUNE. MARCH 5, 2009.
WASHINGTON - Brad Pitt today met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Whip James Clyburn, and received their thanks for his rebuilding efforts in New Orleans.
Pitt thanked the two Democratic leaders for the assistance provided for New Orleans and urged them to continue to help the city rebuild.
"I just want to say thank you to the speaker for opening up her doors for us to come in and discuss the rebuilding effort, the current rebuilding effort going on in New Orleans and how we can expand this idea of affordability and sustainability because we think we have a model that works,'' Pitt said.
Holy Cross Projects's Green Interiors Featured in domino magazine
DOMINO MAGAZINE. MARCH, 2009. Produced by Lucilla Eschmann
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Rebuilding Green In New Orleans
domino magazine rolls up its sleeves to help out a community still feeling the effects of Katrina.
The result is a home that's sustainable in every sense of the word - made of healthy materials, affordable to maintain and cozy to live in.
DRM Syndrome
GreenerBuildings News. Feb 12, 2009. By Rob Watson
I'm afraid we are currently suffering from DRM Syndrome, a nonfatal but almost always non-curative disorder that inevitably follows a calamity. Disaster-Recovery Mentality Syndrome is a natural, and completely understandable, reaction to severe dislocation that serves to filter out any activity or thinking that does not get things Back To Normal as quickly as possible. DRM is a handy excuse to suspend critical thought and almost always results in lost opportunities. If suffered on a sufficiently large scale, DRM Syndrome actually might invite a relapse of the conditions that triggered the disaster in the first place.
Lower 9th Ward advocates want share of stimulus
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE. FEB 7, 2998. By Jonathan Tilove
WASHINGTON -- This time, residents of the Lower 9th Ward are worrying about being left high and dry.
An unprecedented torrent of federal spending will almost certainly be unleashed once the Obama administration economic stimulus package clears Congress in one form or another. But advocates for the Lower 9th Ward, which came to symbolize the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, are left to wonder how much will come its way.
Global Green to invest $17M in New Orleans
New Orleans City Business. Deceember 29, 2008.
Global Green USA, a group that has promoted the construction of eco-friendly homes in the 9th Ward in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, says it will invest $17 million in New Orleans.
“Green is not a trend for Global Green. It is a stalwart commitment to bring environmental consciousness to the center of local and national policy development,” said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA. “We will be bringing in an estimated $17 million in investment to New Orleans — leveraging tens of millions of dollars of investment beyond that through our impact on other projects including the Holy Cross Project, Build it Back Green, Green Seed Schools, green policy advocacy efforts and forums for professional builders and the public.”
ECO-FRIENDLY GIFTS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT HOME
TIMES-PICAYUNE. December 20 2008. By Molly Reid
...gifts with a green bent can set themselves apart from the same old sweaters and gadgets of the holiday season.
I'm not talking about gift baskets of compact fluorescent bulbs (though individually and with a little ribbon, they make great stocking stuffers).
A well-chosen, eco-friendly item can work from a number of angles: stylish but not too trendy, responsible but not sanctimonious, and money-saving without screaming, "I'm poor!"
To help in the search, the nonprofit Global Green recently held a panel discussion on green gift-giving, featuring several of New Orleans' environmentally friendly retailers.
Energy-efficient home projects dot New Orleans
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. October 13, 2008. By Eileen Fleming
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - About a mile from the Make It Right project is another energy-efficient residence, the first of five planned houses to be accompanied by an 18-unit apartment building and a community center. The Global Green Holy Cross project, like the Make It Right project, aims for energy self-sufficiency.
Birgitta Bisztray of Global Green USA takes visitors on tours of the house. All the electricity comes from the 28 solar panels on its roof, she said. And knowing their house will have power when storms knock out public systems is reassuring for residents, she said.
REBUILDING GREEN WILL GET A LITTLE EASIER THIS WEEK
TIMES-PICAYUNE. October 4, 2008. By Molly Reid
Rebuilding a home after a major hurricane while holding down a job and keeping a family together is difficult enough. Rebuilding a home sustainably, using energy-efficient products and materials with a low environmental impact, is even harder.
Energy-conservation advocates and architects agree that investing extra time and money into a stronger, greener home yields significant rewards in energy savings. But green building poses questions -- "What makes a home green?" "Where do I find bamboo floors?" "How long will it take this tankless water heater to pay off?" -- that many homeowners may not feel equipped to answer.
To make fact-finding easier, the nonprofit Global Green will launch its "Build It Back Green" initiative Wednesday. Made possible by $400,000 in grants awarded earlier this year from Greater New Orleans Inc. and the Surdna Foundation, the initiative will target Road Home recipients with information and technical assistance to make green rebuilding easier.
GLOBAL GREEN MAKES TOP 25 OF MEMBERS PROJECT
Our Rebuilding New Orleans Green project made the Top 25 of the American Express Members Project. Thanks to the efforts of our supporters, our project garnered over 4,000 votes. While that was not ultimately enough votes to get into the Top 5 and win funding, we thank everyone for rallying for the green rebuilding of New Orleans.
Reflections: New Orleans and China
THE NEW YORK TIMES. Sept 14, 2008. By Nicolai Ouroussoff
Not surprisingly, what little progress has been made has been the work of a few determined nonprofit organizations. In the Holy Cross neighborhood, Global Green built a prototype for a sustainable shotgun house, complete with solar panels, natural ventilation and recycled materials. The house is the first step toward creating a planned sustainable community, organized around a town green that is designed to collect runoff water during a storm.
THIRD SEASON OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PBS SERIES E2
e2 (pronounced e-squared)is a critically acclaimed PBS series about the innovatiors and pioneers who envision a better quality of life on earth: socially, culturally, economically and ecologically.
New Orleans: The Water Line explores the efforts to rebuild New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward in a way that is environmentally, culturally and socially sustainable. It features Pam Dashiell - formerly of the Holy Cross Neighborhood association - who has worked closely with Global Green on the Holy Cross Project, as well as Global Green CEO Matt Petersen, and our New Orleans Director Beth Galante.
New Orleans, three years after Katrina
LOS ANGELES TIMES. Aug 31, 2008. Editorial
No, the city is not restored. But there are many signs of progress.
This weekend marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating foray through the Gulf Coast, and though residents of New Orleans need no reminder of how vulnerable they are, Mother Nature is providing one anyway in the form of Hurricane Gustav. With some portions of the city's extensive levee system still waiting for upgrades, a direct hit by Gustav could bring flood waters back to neighborhoods that haven't recovered from the last go-round.
Should that happen, some critics will no doubt argue that investing tax dollars in New Orleans is throwing good money after bad. The federal government has put up $126 billion for repairs to the region, including nearly $60 billion for New Orleans and surrounding areas. It would have to spend billions more to restore the region's natural defenses against flooding. Why not move everyone out of harm's way and be done with it?
Watch Bob Woodruff's interview with Matt Petersen on Planet Green
This week on the Planet Green show Focus Earth, Bob Woodruff and his team head to New Orleans for the third anniversary of Katrina, to check out green rebuilding in the 9th Ward, and talk to Louisana's governor about the state's ecological future. The show includes an interview with Matt Petersen, President of Global Green. Bob Woodruff met with Matt Petersen at the first home completed in Global Green's Holy Cross Project, which is located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
THE HOLY CROSS PROJECT: A LOOK BACK
In 2006, as part of our commitment to the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and to demonstrate green building as a solution to global warming nationally, Global Green and Brad Pitt joined forces to sponsor an international architectural design competition. Reporter Ann Curry of the TODAY show traveled down to New Orleans in July of 2006 to do a two-part interview about the design competition with both Brad Pitt and Global Green President Matt Petersen. Here's a look back at that coverage, plus other related articles.
Smokey on the Water: Rock Star Camp Rolls Into New Orleans
THE HUFFINGTON POST. Aug 20, 2008. By Karen Dalton-Beninato
When Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp rolled into New Orleans, the rock star counselors asked the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund to fill some scholarship positions and show them the effects of Katrina three years later. Showing someone around New Orleans these days not only includes pointing out abandoned slabs where homes were washed away three years ago, it also includes touring the areas where the city is finally rising thanks to ongoing grass roots efforts.
Camp counselors were Elliot Easton (The Cars); Glen Hughes (Deep Purple); Gilby Clark (Guns and Roses); Dave Ellefson (Megadeath); Kip Winger (Winger); Mark Slaughter (Slaughter); Chris Slade (AC/DC); Marc Hudson (the Hudson Brothers); and Earl Slick (David Bowie). We visited Global Green, Make it Right, Furnishing Our Neighbors and the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village the day before the show.
HOLY CROSS PROJECT SITE UPDATE
Global Green, in partnership with the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, chose to build its green affordable housing development on a site that is immediately adjacent to the Mississippi River in the Lower Ninth Ward. At approximately 7 feet above sea level, this half city block is on the highest ground in New Orleans, and should therefore be safe from future hurricane storm surges.
In selecting a site next to the river, however, Global Green is encountering lead contamination - an additional hurdle to sustainable rebuilding that tens of thousands of sites in the city are also burdened with. Global Green has met the challenge of cleaning up a contaminated site in a sustainable way head on: rather than simply scrap the contaminated soils into a dump truck and ship them off to a landfill in someone else's community - usually a low-income and/or minority community without the power to protect themselves from toxic imports - Global Green has chosen to keep the soils on-site, but to do so in a way that ensures that they are safely sealed off from the community and the environment.
A STARTER KITCHEN
TRIBUNE MEDIA. July 27, 2008. By Anne Willan
New Orleans - Leaving downtown and the anonymous halls of a large conference hotel, I escape across the Mississippi to the other New Orleans, to the infamous Lower Ninth Ward, where the flooding from Hurricane Katrina struck at its most brutal. Many of the original residents have left. The roads are eerily quiet with few cars and scarcely a passerby; this could be deep countryside, green with the brilliant colors of spring. I am headed to a small experimental project nestled right below the levee bank that holds in check the treacherous, swirling river water, here up to 200 feet deep.
JOHN EDWARDS SURVEYS 9TH WARD 'GREEN HOME'
TIMES-PICAYUNE. FRI, JULY 25, 2008. By Nicole Dungca
During his second visit to New Orleans this year, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards on Thursday toured a green home in the Lower 9th Ward and held a news conference to talk about efforts to combat climate change. Edwards will co-chair a national climate initiative that will focus on influencing civic leaders and lawmakers to push environmentally-friendly legislation.
Edwards, who last visited New Orleans in January when he announced he was dropping out of the presidential race, was joined in a news conference by Global Green USA CEO Matt Petersen, who spoke of the dangers facing coastal cities across the country.
GLOBAL GREEN HELPS N.O USE LESS ENERGY
2THEADVOCATE.COM. JULY 25, 2008. By Amy Wold
Urging the use of more energy-efficient homes and discussing how to cut climate change pollution are parts of a new national initiative announced Thursday to reduce global warming-related pollution.
“New Orleans is a front line for sea level rise in this country,” said Matt Peterson, president of Global Green USA.
Reducing the amount of global warming pollution could help reduce the projected sea level rise if nothing is done, Peterson said.
NEW ORLEANS REBUILD EFFORTS GOING FOR LEED PLATINUM
INHABITAT. JULY 9, 2008.
The opportunity to rebuild New Orleans as an international example of sustainability comes in the aftermath of what is increasingly being recognized as the tipping point for global awareness of climate change and its devastating impacts. Global Green is committed to helping New Orleans rebuild and to use the national and international attention on the city as a wake-up call to push urgently for solutions to global warming. Global Green is accomplishing this through many initiatives including The Holy Cross Project which is going for the USGBC’s highest LEED certification.
GRANT TURNING CITY ONTO SOLAR POWER
TIMES-PICAYUNE. JUNE 29, 2008. By Molly Reid
Gathered around a mock roof in the middle of a workshop at the Louisiana Technical College Jefferson campus this week, 13 potential solar panel installers analyzed a quartet of photovoltaic panels mounted in a continuous row. The group had spent the past two days in class learning the basics of solar technology installation, and they seemed ready to put their skills to use.
GLOBAL GREEN SEES RISE IN N.O.'S ECO-ACTION
TMES-PICAYUNE. MAY 24, 2008. By Molly Reid
Global Green USA and its New Orleans office last week celebrated the official opening of their first home in Holy Cross.
The house, built to platinum standards under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, will serve as a visitor's center and informational resource for residents interested in the rest of the Brad Pitt-sponsored Holy Cross project.
HOLY CROSS PROJECT IS GREEN INSIDE & OUT
WASTE NEWS. APRIL 28, 2008. By Chrissy Kadleck
Avocado-painted walls in the living room are just one obvious sign that the first home of the Holy Cross Project is categorically green. This innovative two-story, three-bedroom home is not only a showcase of best practices in green building and materials, but also a model for environmentally friendly decor that is stylish and affordable.
GLOBAL GREEN HOUSE UNVEILS ECO-FRIENDLY DECOR
TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 12, 2008. By Renee Peck
Back in 2006, when we were rebuilding our house post-Katrina, the emphasis was on hurricane-resistant construction: SIPS panels and trusses, paperless drywall and borate barriers. No one was talking VOCs or BLUwood, tankless water heaters or low-flush toilets.
My, how things have changed. If I had it do to all over again -- and luckily I don't, because who would ever go through all that again -- I'd get not only a strong house, but also a green one. In the past couple of years, green building and eco-friendly decorating have come of age.
21ST CENTURY SHOTGUN BLENDS TRADITIONAL & MODERN
TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 10, 2008. By Doug McCash
The design of the Global Green model home in Holy Cross is smart. I'm not talking about all the futuristic energy saving features; I'm just talking about the appearance.
To do its job, it had to be jazzy enough to draw attention to itself, but stay pretty much within the scale and prevailing taste of the neighborhood. I think it does both.
SCHOOL SAVINGS SPROUT FROM GLOBAL GREEN
NEW ORLEANS CITY BUSINESS. MARCH 3, 2008. By Stephen Maloney
A.P. Tureaud Elementary School on Pauger Street is a whole lot greener today even without a new coat of paint.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Global Green U.S.A. designated Tureaud as its first Green Seed School in June and immediately went to work on the 69-year-old Seventh Ward building.
Brad Pitt Helps Out as New Orleans Rebuilds
THIS OLD HOUSE. AUG 28, 2007.
On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's second anniversary, Global Green USA toured progress of their first affordable green home under construction. The Holy Cross project is one of the first new home construction projects to be built in the Lower 9th Ward. It is being built with green products and energy efficient systems that will be included in the completed project of five single family homes, an multi-unit apartment complex, and a community center/Sustainable Design and Climate Action Institute. Here, Brad Pitt (initial sponsor and chair of the sustainable design competition jury), Global Green USA, and The Home Depot Foundation (lead funding partner) unveil the final design.
Pitt envisions day when energy bills will be ‘useless'
TODAY. AUG 27, 2007. By Mike Celizic
Brad Pitt wants to make energy bills go away, and he doesn’t think that’s an outlandish pipe dream. In the second part of an exclusive one-on-one interview with TODAY’s Ann Curry, he showed how the new houses he’s helping to build in New Orleans will make a giant stride toward that goal.
The actor and activist sponsored a design competition for affordable apartments and houses along with Global Green USA. With the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina arriving next week, work on 18 apartments and five homes is nearing completion. Global Green is constructing the homes, which will be sold to residents, with preference being given to former residents of the neighborhood.
Brad Pitt shares hopes, dreams for New Orleans
TODAY. AUG 23, 2008. By Mike Celizic
Hollywood star lends his time, celebrity to rebuilding Ninth Ward
Brad Pitt doesn't pretend that the 18 apartments and five homes rising in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward are anything more than a start toward the massive job of rebuilding from the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. But the Hollywood star believes the project he's putting his time and celebrity behind is an important step toward shaping what the area could become.
Pitt and his wife, Angelina Jolie, have adopted New Orleans. In January, they bought an early-19th-century mansion in the French Quarter. Not long afterward, Pitt teamed with Global Green USA to sponsor a competition to design environmentally friendly and energy-efficient housing for the Ninth Ward.
Pitt Power: Actor's fame helps build the first house in the Holy Cross affordable-housing project
TIMES-PICAYUNE. AUG 22, 2007. By John Pope
…Pitt showed up to check on the first house in a project he has been helping with his money and the power of celebrity. Accompanied by neighborhood residents and representatives of Global Green USA, which is sponsoring the initative, and the Home Depot Foundation, an underwriter, Pitt strolled through the two-story house, which will have solar panels that could reduce utility bills by 75 percent.
Brad Pitt aims to keep focus on Katrina recovery
REUTERS. AUG 21, 2007. By Russell McCulley
Pitt was in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood to tour an ecologically sustainable single-family being built by Global Green USA, an environmental group he backs.
The actor praised the house in the Holy Cross area of the ward as a “small victory” for efforts to rebuild the city, but said it’s hard to find an overall victory when you see how slowly everything is still moving. And Katrina was a man-made disaster. This house is a man-made solution.”
Pitt's Green Building Project Begins
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. MAY 10, 2007. By Stacey Plaisance
With a brass band accompaniment, developers in this city’s devastated Lower 9th Ward celebrated the start of construction Thursday on an environmentally friendly new home, based on the winning design in a competition started by Brad Pitt.
“Hopefully this can be a model for the level of redevelopment that can be done here,” said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA, the environmental group working with Pitt on the project.
Brad Pitt Breaks Ground on Green-Housing Project
PEOPLE. MAY 10, 2007. By Mary Green
Brad Pitt may be halfway around the world with his family in Prague, but on Thursday, ground was broken on his green-housing project in New Orleans.
Pitt, 43, tells PEOPLE: "The greatest victory for me will be when the first people move into one of these green homes – when they can put their key into that lock, sit down at the table, have dinner with their families and live their lives. That's what we're getting closer to with this announcement today."
Pitt on building an eco-friendly New Orleans
TODAY. SEPT 5, 2006. By Ann Curry
The ‘Today’ show’s Ann Curry talks with the actor about his efforts to bring housing to the region on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
All week, we've been looking at the shocking devastation that still remains in New Orleans, as citizens there mark one year since Hurricane Katrina struck. On Thursday, actor Brad Pitt announced a major step forward in his effort to bring back housing in one of the hardest-hit parts of the city. Not only did he vow that it will be built, ground-breaking is expected in a matter of months. I caught up with him in New Orleans on Thursday for an exclusive interview.
Global Green New Orleans Competition Winner Announced
TREEHUGGER. SEPT 4, 2006. By Lloyd Alter
And the winner of the Global Green competition is Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman of Workshop/APD. We might have rejected them just for the punny name GreeNOLA and the retro drawings, but the scheme has winning attributes-
"The winning design integrated the newest sustainable technologies while drawing upon the wisdom of the past," said Matt Petersen, President of Global Green USA. "The impressive innovations show how to rebuild a healthier New Orleans. These homes, once built, will help improve the lives of families by lowering energy costs and improving the health of the residents." ....Pam Dashiell, President of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association served as one of the design jury members and described the role of the community process throughout the competition saying, "these green building designs breathe new life into our communities; the amount of community input was incredible."
Rebuilding a better, greener New Orleans
TODAY. JULY 18, 2006. By Ann Curry.
Global Green and Brad Pitt join forces to help bring housing to the Gulf Coast region. Check out the eco-conscious designs and video
To help encourage environmentally-friendly building, Brad Pitt, along with Global Green, announced a sustainable design architectural competition for the areas of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It drew 3000 registrants from all over the world, six finalists were chosen. Check out the designs, and watch video of Pitt, the “Today” show's Ann Curry, and Matt Petersen, president of Global Green USA, discuss the finalists.
Pitt on rebuilding New Orleans, fatherhood
TODAY. JULY 18, 2006. By Ann Curry
The ‘Today’ show's Ann Curry talks with the actor about eco-friendly housing in the region, and the joys of being a dad
Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt sat down with the “Today” show's Ann Curry to discuss the devastation in New Orleans, environmentally friendly development, and his new role as a dad.
The rebuilding process in New Orleans has been slow, so has the clean-up. The need for affordable housing is chronic. Brad Pitt recently teamed up with the non-profit group Global Green to try to spur green-friendly building in the Crescent City. As he tells us, it is a need that is way overdue.
Pitt Shocked by Post-Katrina Devastation
FOXNEWS.COM. JULY 15, 2006. By STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS — After two days of getting his first up-close look at post-Katrina New Orleans, Brad Pitt said Friday he was shocked at the devastation that remains almost a year later.
"I was not prepared,"the actor said, describing how he drove for miles and saw street after street of devastation.
Pitt was in New Orleans to give an update on a project he's promoting - a competition to choose ecologically sound designs for rebuilding neighborhoods.
The ‘new’ L.B. Landry – ‘Ribbon in the Sky’ for Algiers
THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY. AUGUST 10, 2010. By Nayita Wilson
After five years of waiting, planning, a community supported demolition process and meticulous construction, a community celebrates the return of a neighborhood landmark and educational pillar in Algiers. Local and state education leaders, alumni and supporters congregated in the “new” L.B. Landry High School’s auditorium last Thursday, August 5, to celebrate the completion of Landry’s new structure and ultimate re-opening.
